Cord bilirubin levels as a predictive marker for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia: A prospective study

Purpose Hyperbilirubinemia is the most common medical problem in newborn infants. Early discharge is recommended but hospital readmission is a cause of concern among clinicians ,and early discharge of neonates is recommended.

This inturn carries a risk of delayed recognition of significant hyperbilirubinemia.A cross-sectional analytical study was done primarily to evaluate the predictive value of cord bilirubin level for identifying term and near term neonates for subsequent hyperbilirubinemia.

Materials & Methods Cord bilirubin levels at birth and subsequently serum bilirubin levels at 72 hours were assessed in 100 neonates. The cut off value was estimated beyond which there was significant hyperbilirubinemia.

Result The cut off value of cord bilirubin >2.02 mg/dl had sensitivity and specificity of 87.5% and 70.8% respectively with positive predictive value of 0.39 and negative predictive value of 0.965 for subsequent hyperbilirubinemia.

Conclusion The cut-off value of cord bilirubin level estimated is 2.02 mg/dl can be used to predict significant neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.[Full Article]